Pull together to succeed – Kelly

TEAM ETHIC: new Athletic boss Darren Kelly wants to create the perfect environment for success. Picture by ANTHONY MILLER.

ONLY a week since Darren Kelly’s shock appointment as Athletic boss, the highly-focused Northern Irishman has already begun installing a strong team ethic.

The next Sky Bet League One season is months away but Kelly has enjoyed a whirlwind tenure so far - and is getting his much-mentioned philosophy across already.

“It’s been manic, but I expected that and was looking forward to it. I want to keep being challenged in every way.

“We have a lot of work to do: getting the right personnel and buying into what I want to do. Ultimately it leads to creating one thing - success on the pitch. The next couple of months will be quite intense, but that’s where the team ethic comes in.”

Kelly is keen to emphasise the word “manic”: “Everything has been full-on,” he added. “The phone calls have already been coming in from agents. There’s no rest.

“It will be wake up in the morning and work until I go to bed at night. That comes with the job and it’s something I look forward to. We all want to pull in one direction — upwards.”

Kelly has explained why he made the decision to release James Dayton after two years and 63 appearances, and Amari Morgan-Smith after 15 games last season.

“I saw a lot of the players last season, but I haven’t seen these two. I couldn’t justify taking money out of my budget to put on players that haven’t trained or played, or have been injured.”

Connor Brown, Adam Lockwood and George Elokobi are still considering new offers: “I hope they sign because they are valuable players on and off the pitch," added Kelly.



ATHLETIC and Manchester United legends take part in a charity game at SportsDirect.com Park tonight to raise money for Francis House Children’s Hospice.

Andy Ritchie, Paul Scholes, David May and Dean Holden are among the names taking part - managed by Joe Royle. Gates open at 6pm and the game kicks off at 7pm.



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